Search

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the causative bacterium in most urinary tract infections (UTIs). UPEC cells adhere to and invade bladder epithelial cells (BECs) and cause uropathogenicity. Invading UPEC cells may encounter one of several fates, including degradation in the lysosome, expulsion to the extracellular milieu for clearance, or survival as an intracellular bacterial community and quiescent intracellular reservoir that can cause later infections. Here we considered the possibility that UPEC cells secrete factors that activate specific host cell signaling networks to facilitate the UPEC invasion of BECs. Using GFP-based reporters and Western blot analysis, we found that the representative human cystitis isolate E. coli UTI89 and its derivative UTI89ΔFimH, which does not bind to BECs, equally activate phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate 3-OH kinase (PI3K), Akt kinase, and mTOR complex (mTORC) 1 and 2 in BECs. We also found that conditioned medium taken from UTI89 and UTI89ΔFimH cultures similarly activates epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), PI3K, Akt, and mTORC and that inhibition of EGFR and mTORC2, but not mTORC1, abrogates UTI89 invasion in vitro and in animal models of UTI. Our results reveal a key molecular mechanism of UPEC invasion and the host cells it targets, insights that may have therapeutic utility for managing the ever-increasing number of persistent and chronic UTIs.

The counter-rotating type pump-turbine is an advanced concept unit optimized for the renewable energy fields such as small hydraulic power for energy generation and power stabilization systems for energy storage purposes. Given the unique operational mechanism of the counter-rotating type pump-turbine, it has extremely complex internal flow patterns. More methodical and rational design techniques are therefore required to ensure the improved energy efficiency of this unit. In this study, the existing design was adapted to improve the system efficiency of the counter-rotating type pump-turbine by applying a design method, combining design of experiment (DOE) with numerical analysis. The design variables and the test sets were selected to perform the DOE design using a 2k factorial design. The influence of each design variable on the system performance was analysed based on the results of the performance evaluation on the test sets, as the regression analysis for the 2k factorial design was performed. Furthermore, the respective model, whose efficiency was improved according to the operating mode, was produced. Finally, the performance of each generated model was evaluated using numerical analysis, and it was confirmed that its system efficiency has indeed improved.

Brain metastasis is a common complication of systemic cancer and significant cause of suffering in oncology patients. Despite a plethora of available treatment modalities, the prognosis is poor with a median survival time of approximately one year. For patients with controlled systemic disease, good performance status, and a limited number of metastases, treatment typically entails surgical resection or radiosurgery, followed by whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) to control microscopic disease. WBRT is known to control the progression of cancer in the brain, but it can also have toxic effects, particularly with regard to neurocognition. There is no consensus as to whether the benefit of WBRT outweighs the potential harm. We review the evidence related to the question of whether patients undergoing surgical resection of brain metastases should receive adjuvant WBRT.

Geographic variability exists in the use of IVC filters (IVCF). We hypothesized that variation in IVCF use is incompletely explained by variation in the prevalence of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) and may result from different practice patterns regarding prophylactic IVCF use. We characterize geographic variation in IVCF use at the state level and evaluate its association with clinical factors, patient demographics, and the medicolegal environment.Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database records were accessed to identify 230,445 IVCFs placed from 2006 to 2008 in 33 states. Similar queries were performed for DVT and PE. Additional state data were obtained from public sources. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Spearman Correlation (SC), Wilcoxon rank-sum test, and characterization of variability.Overall, IVCF use correlated with the prevalence of DVT (SC = 0.89, P.01). States on the East coast have significantly greater rates of IVCF use per 100K (mean ± SD = 41.2 ± 16.7 vs 27.8 ± 11.1, P.05) and greater rates of IVCF per DVT (20.2 ± 4.5% vs 15.2 ± 2.9%; P.005), despite similar rates of DVT per 100K (198.1 ± 51.2 vs 177.7 ± 46.7, P = NS) compared with all other states. Overall, states with the greatest rate of IVCF per DVT were (in descending order): Rhode Island, New Jersey, Florida, New York, and West Virginia. Rates of detected PE per 100K in these states were not significantly different from all other states (95.6 ± 16.6 vs 90.4 ± 16.1, P = NS). In these states, a greater percentage of IVCF recipients were older than 85 (15.3% vs 11.8%; P.01); fewer were pediatric (0.3% vs 0.7%; P.05) or aged 45 to 64 (26.1% vs 32.4%; P.001). There were no differences in patient sex, race, insurance type, hospital size, or teaching status. States with high rates of IVCF per DVT were noted to have significantly greater rates of paid malpractice claims per 100K (4.9 ± 2.51 vs 1.1 ± 0.8; P = .001), and annual general surgeon liability insurance premiums ($78,630 ± 34,822 vs $43,989 ± 17,794; P.05).Variation in IVCF use is incompletely explained by clinical factors. High rates of IVCF per DVT in some states may represent increased use of prophylactic IVCF in states with litigious medicolegal environments.

Objective Catheter-related infection remains a cause of morbidity in the use of external ventricular drains (EVDs). The aim of this retrospective single-center study was to assess the rate and factors related to ventriculostomy infections in the setting of the published literature. Methods Patients that underwent EVD placement in a single-center were retrospectively reviewed. Diagnosis, treatment, hospital course, and infection-related data were collected and analyzed in reference to ventriculitis rates. The protocols for EVD placement and maintenance were reviewed. Results Of 343 patients, 12 acquired an EVD infection. No significant differences existed between those with and without ventriculitis for age, sex, underlying diagnosis, or concomitant systemic infection. Although not significant, concomitant systemic infection existed in 4.7% of patients with ventriculitis versus 1.5% without. There was a significant difference in length of EVD placement in patients with ventriculitis (20.9 ± 15.3 days) versus those without (12.1 ± 18.2; P = 0.005). Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and Staphylococcus aureus represented the most commonly associated pathogens. With an overall cumulative incidence of 3.5%, our rate compared favorably to the published literature (cumulative incidence 9.5%; range, 3.9%-23.2%). Conclusions Catheter-related infection remains an important complication of EVD placement. Of factors evaluated, length of time of catheter placement has the most notable relationship to infection incidence, suggesting that early drain removal should be a goal whenever medically appropriate.

The effects of the gas velocity (0.05–0.22 m/s) and temperature (870–970 °C) on the gas holdup and the gas phase axial dispersion coefficient have been studied in a molten salt oxidation reactor (0.076 m i.d. × 0.653 m H., air-molten sodium carbonate salt two-phase system). The gas phase holdup and the amount of the axial gas phase dispersion coefficient were experimentally evaluated by means of the pressure drop measurement and residence time distribution (RTD) experiments using inert tracer gas (CO), respectively. Results indicated that the gas holdup increases with an increasing temperature, but the increasing rate of the gas holdup decreases with an increasing gas velocity. The gas phase axial dispersion coefficients show an asymptotic value with an increasing gas velocity due to the plug-flow like behavior at a higher gas velocity. Temperature has positive effects on the gas phase axial dispersion. To detect the regime characteristics, a spectral method based on the differential pressure fluctuation has been applied, which enables us to obtain the flow characteristics in the MSO reactor.

NO removal using CH4 as a reductant in a dual-bed system has been investigated with Co-NaX and Ag-NaX catalysts, which were prepared by Co2+-, Ag+-ion exchange into zeolite NaX, respectively, and activation for 5 h at 500 °C. The experimental result has been compared with that of a Co-NaX-CO catalyst, additionally pre-treated under CO flow for the Co-NaX catalyst. The cobalt crystal structure of a Co-NaX-CO catalyst is Co3O4, which promotes NO oxidation to NO2 by excess O2 at a low temperature (523 K). The mechanical mixture of Co-NaX-CO and Ag-NaX catalysts shows a synergy effect on NO reduction to N2 by CH4 in the presence of excess O2 and H2O, but the NO reduction decreases quickly as time passes. However, the NO reduction to N2 in a deNO bed at 523 K and a deNO2 bed at 423 K, which are relatively lower than the reaction temperatures for common SCR systems, still remained at 67% even in a H2O 10% gas mixture after 160 min.

Several glassy waste forms are fabricated from two different incineration ashes, respectively, at different mixing ratios of ashes to base glass. Incineration ashes used in the experiments are hazardous waste (HW) incineration ash from a paint factory and simulated radioactive waste (RW) incineration ash from a nuclear power plant. To assess the chemical durability, which is known to be the most important factor in the waste form integrity, of glassy waste forms, long-term leaching tests such as MCC-4S (for HW glassy waste form) and ISO (for RW glassy waste form) methods were conducted at 70°C for over 500 days. By observing the initial leach ratio of glass components, it was found that silicon and calcium uniformly leached out after the early leaching of sodium and boron. For sodium and boron, diffusion is a dominant leaching mechanism, while dissolution associated with diffusion affects the leaching of silicon and calcium. Like glass constituents, leaching characteristics of hazardous metals and surrogate nuclides are also dependent upon solubility.

We used fluorescence quenching, vibronic band ratios and excimer fluorescence techniques to quantify the statistics of pyrene solubilization in nonionic octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12E8) micelles. Using a two-phase model (aqueous and micellar pseudophases) to interpret fluorescence results, we found that all three of these experimental methods provide consistent information about pyrene partitioning between aqueous and micellar pseudophases. From dynamic quenching experiments we determined the pyrene partition coefficient and the average number of pyrene molecules solubilized per micelle over a range of surfactant concentrations. The pyrene partition coefficient increases with increasing surfactant concentration. We confirmed the partitioning results by excimer fluorescence measurements. Quenching results indicate that pyrene is accessible to Cu2+ quenchers even in the limit of high surfactant concentration where solubilized pyrene is in the infinite dilution limit in the micellar pseudophase. This suggests that solubilized pyrene resides in the micellar palisade layer. We determined the maximum number of pyrene solubilizates allowed per micelle (micellar solubilization capacity) by applying a three-phase model to fluorescence experiments conducted in the presence of solid phase pyrene. The estimated maximum capacity is ∼6 pyrene molecules per micelle. The three phase partitioning model successfully predicted the excimer fluorescence in the presence of solid pyrene.

A bench-scale incineration process with a capacity of 5 kg/h has been constructed and operated at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) as a part of the development of a self-supported incineration technology for burnable solid radioactive wastes. An operational test of the process was carried out. Operation of the process proceeded well with the attainment of reasonable weight and volume reduction, a good decontamination factor, and permissible off-gas emission. Heat and mass balances were considered to check the combustion efficiency and to observe the operating temperature dependency of incineration. Burning time for the simulated waste in the process was also correlated with chemical-reaction control equations as a function of temperature. The combustion efficiency of the incinerator was about 98%. The burning time for the mixture of paper and polyethylene was slightly dependent on incineration temperature with an activation energy of 17.3 kJ/mol in assumption of adsorption control.